Police are undoubtedly needed in communities, some say, but to what degree?
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When discussed nowadays, the topic of policing is sure to bring to the surface strong opinions and, in some cases, zero sum political stances.
It’s unfortunate, but the conversation has become polarizing: either you adore police or abhor them, that’s the frame in which the dialogue is presented to the public, though the reality of the tensions between police and communities of color is entrenched in complexities and a long history of oppression.
Context and balance around this topic is usually exchanged in favor of sound bites and provocative assertions, though Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Old City Philadelphia the aforementioned won against the latter.
The panel discussion, which featured Mr. David Kennedy of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Ms. Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute and Mr. Theodore Shaw of the University of North Carolina, explored the layers of what Mr. Juwan Bennett of Temple University called the “over-policing, under-policing paradox.”
“Black and brown people, like everyone else, want to feel safe, they want police in their neighborhoods, but they want to be respected and not criminalized before having done anything,” said Mr. Bennett, a criminal justice teaching assistant and second year Ph.D student at Temple University in North Philadelphia.
Mr. Mike Days, editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, moderated the conversation in which Mr. Kennedy, a white man, acknowledged that the history of American policing is rooted in the oppression of black and brown bodies, and suggested that top cops be honest with themselves and the public about the past, instead of pretending bad things in the name of the law never happened.
He also asserted that cops, the majority of them well-intentioned, occupy black neighborhoods and cast a wide net of criminality over its residents.
“Officers sweep through the area and stop everything that moves, and anyone who has seen this happen cannot believe for a moment that this stuff is constitutional,” said Mr. Kennedy, responding Ms. Mac Donald’s statement that the astronomical number of stops of people of color by police is because of reasonable suspicion.
Ms. Mac Donald, author of the book ‘Are the Police Racist?,’ said the reason police occupy black and brown communities in greater density than their counterparts is because that’s where the crime is happening. She also stated that those in black and brown communities where crime is a normal occurrence want police there, and their plea should be respected.
Mr. Anton Moore, a South Philadelphia community leader who last Saturday was awarded by the local branch of the NAACP with the Community Service Award, would agree with both Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Mac Donald.
A visible detractor of gun violence in communities, Mr. Moore has spoken with many black families, some as recent as two weeks ago, who want an increased police presence due to a high level of crimes, both non-violent and deadly.
But as a black man, the history and culture of American policing isn’t lost on him.
“Police in America have a culture of oppression,” said Mr. Moore. “But not every officer you encounter is a racist.”
Mr. Days, amidst the back and forth between panelists on stage at the National Constitution Center, aimed to steer the conversation about the strained relationship between police and many communities of color towards a solution: “How do fix it?,” he asked.
“If we don’t take this moment to reset things, we will never get another chance like this,” said Mr. Kennedy.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Ramsey, who announced on Wednesday morning at City Hall that he’ll retire on January 7th, 2016, was on stage prior to the panel, and he said that it may have been a mistake to label police as law enforcement officers, because it makes their scope of work too narrow, only focused on law and order and not necessarily building relationships.
Mr. Bennett understands why Mr. Ramsey would say that, but he disagrees, noting that it will take more than changing the language used in public.
“The laws have to been changed to expand police’s mission statement and we have to standardize what community policing means,” said Mr. Bennett, age 22, whose older brother is a Philadelphia police officer.
Mr. Bennett and Mr. Moore both agree that one of the standards of community policing should be in-depth learning on the races and cultures that police will frequently interact with.
A loose definition of community policing expressed by Mr. Kennedy, which was also mentioned by Mr. Bennett, was not arresting black and brown people for trivial things, like the incidents white people get a slap on the wrist for: riding their bike on the sidewalk, loitering in front of a store or having a joint in their pocket.
“White kids have joints in their pockets, too, but they don’t walk around afraid of getting arrested because they don’t get treated that way,” said Mr. Kennedy.
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Mr. Bennett, who lives in South Philadelphia, points to how young white boys at 18th & Oregon hang in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts in large numbers and go ignored, but a group of black boys in front of a Chinese store is considered suspicious and cause for police intervention.
Mr. Bennett also highlighted how, for years, police would patrol the neighborhood and harass people who were standing in front of a deli drinking beer, but are totally hands-off with the white residents, many who are new to urban areas, who drink in beer gardens, which is usually just an abandoned plot of land temporarily re-purposed.
The gist of Mr. Bennett’s and Mr. Kennedy’s argument is that the role of police in a democratic society is to treat everyone equally and with respect, to prevent and lower crime, and build good will in communities by protecting and serving.
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